Just got back from a nice mini-trip to Little Trout Lake. We experienced a moderate dose of cold weather, enough for this camper! We left the cities Thurs. night and by the time we hit Grand Marais it was after 11P. I didn't see a soul from about Tofte north, and not a car on the Gunflint. Surprised a couple deer on the last leg to Ram Lake. We were disappointed to see another car in the lot, a fancy Explorer with Illinois plates. Slept in the van that night and tottered out and up the hill to Ram Lake. It's a rugged start - 110 rods and all uphill as I can see. The weather was OK, low thirties and a bit blowy, but you are really in a bowl most of the time with those high hills surrounding the lakes. The portages in were up and down and rocky, the toughest I'd seen compared to my few other trips (Kawishiwi - Malberg, Brule-Winchell-Long Island - Cherokee-Brule, Nina Moose - Gebeonequet-LaCroix-Agnes. We never did see any tracks, so Illinois must have camped at the out of sight campsite on Ram. We saw snow showers Friday, 3" Friday night and some nice morning sun to dry the gear by. We walked the 190 rod portage to Misquah, no kidding that Beyer calls it possibly the worst in the BWCA. It'd take a real Voyageur to brave that carrying an 80 lb canoe!Three climbs, a swampy middle and large rocks. Saw a huge moose cow, she didn't care about us and we weren't bothered by her. We passed her on the portage, only about 50' away. I guess the urge to graze had overcome any fear on her part. We never caught a damn thing - not even a bite. Only saw one Eagle (Where do they go?)and heard a few geese passing thru - no Grouse, no Loons, no Ducks. I don't know what that means, but wildlife was very quiet. We never saw a human, which was my first. I'd have to sum up by saying that if you want rugged, but not gonzo, it's a great trip. The campsites looked barely used from Ram to Trout. I think that Misquah portage stifles a lot of thru travel!. We walked more than we paddled on this trip, but it definitely is a good trip to get away from the crowd. Two rough portages, one difficult and one a nice hike. Happy trails!

Posted by Randy on October 09, 2000 at 20:52